In 16 of the 33 Premier League seasons, the team leading after 11 matches has won the championship. However, there were 17 cases where the leading team could not win the championship after the first 11 rounds. And five of those have come against Arsenal, the most recent team that has failed to win the championship despite leading after 11 rounds.
At the same time as the 2022-2023 season, the "Gunners" led Manchester City by 4 points, but the Etihad team later came back to win the championship.
Those statistics do not affect the fate of the championship this season, but they emphasize that leading after 11 matches does not guarantee overall success. An interesting detail is that the gap between the top teams and the final champions is often narrowed.
In history, the biggest score ever given by a champion at this stage has been 8 points, and that has only happened twice.
Therefore, the 5 teams with 18 points at the moment still have a chance in the championship race, including Manchester United.
With eliminated from the Carabao Cup and not participating in the European Cup, coach Ruben Amorim's team will go through a series of 10 matches in the Premier League in the next 7 weeks. The current rankings of the opponents they have to face in this series of matches are: 13, 10, 18, 20, 9, 6, 14, 20, 16 and 17.
Notably, the "Red Devils" will meet Wolves twice in the third week of December. In the next 5 away matches, only one Man United match really had to travel far.
However, the away trip to Crystal Palace will be followed by away matches against Wolves, Aston Villa, Leeds and Burnley. These are not easy challenges for Amorim and his students.
In theory, the fixtures give Man United an advantage over teams that are struggling in the European Cup and Carabao Cup. Although many teams have stronger forces than the "Red Devils", the impact of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, along with the stability of goalkeeper Senne Lammens, is still very significant.
In the last 2 matches of the 5-match unbeaten streak - 2-2 draw with Spurs and Nottingham Forest - Man United has not had truly impressive form. However, the most important thing at the moment is that the "Red Devils" have great confidence in Amorim's tactics. This is a key factor in the upcoming matches.
Of the two teams that have overcome an 8-point gap after 11 matches to win the Premier League championship, the most recent team is Man United in the 2022-2023 season. If it is a coincidence, Amorim's team also deserves to be trusted.
Amid the ups and downs, Amorim has proven his mettle. He does not promise miracles, but instead brings faith, discipline and fighting spirit. From the rubble of the past 12 months, Amorim is gradually rebuilding a much stronger Man United and most importantly, the trust has returned.
